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1 1 (August 21, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdbkw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: xa S 1,k Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act: Overview and Issues The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA; 16 U.S.C. § §6801-6814) authorizes five agencies to charge and collect recreation fees on federal recreational lands and waters. The agencies are the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS) in the Departmentof the Interior (DOI) and Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture. The agencies retain the collected fees primarily for on-site improvements. Current Status. Agencies are authorized to charge fees at recreation sites until October 1,2021. Initial authority was for a 10-year period, expiring December 8, 2014; Congress has enacted multiple extensions. Types of Fees.FLREA authorizes different kinds of fees, outlines criteria for establishing fees, andprohibits fees for certain activities or services. FWS and NPS can charge entrance fees. BLM, Reclamation, and FS can charge standard amenity fees in areas or circumstances where a certain level of services or facilities is available. FLREA also authorizes all five agencies to charge an expanded amenity fee for specialized facilities and services and specialrecreationpermit (SRP) fees for specialized uses, such as group activities. Criteria for Establishing Fees. Fee criteria in FLREA were intended to promote fairness and consistency among agencies and locations and to minimize confusion, burden, and overlap of fees. Fees are to be commensurate with benefits and services provided. The Secretary ofthe Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretaries) are to consider comparable fees charged elsewhere, such as by nearby private providers ofrecreation services; establish the minimum number of fees; and consider the aggregate effect of fees on recreationusers andproviders. The Secretaries must allowpublic participationin establishing fees. Recreation Passes. FLREA authorized a nationalpass for recreation at sites of different agencies. The U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers also participates in the pass program (under P.L. 113-121, § 1048). The America the Beautiful- the NationalParks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass covers entrance fees and standard amenity fees at areas where such fees are charged. The annualpass is $80; discounted or free versions are available (e.g., for U.S. military personnel, permanently disabled individuals, seniors, volunteers, and fourth-grade students). Further, agencies have established site-specific and regionalpasses. Fee Sites. Of FS's roughly 30,000 developed recreation sites, about4,000 collect fees underFLREA. Most of these sites provide overnight services, such as campgrounds and cabin rentals. OfBLM's roughly 3,600 developed recreation sites, about400charge fees under FLREA. Of about 460publicly open FWS refuges, some 200 charge fees, including about 30 areas with entrance fees. Of the 419 NPS units, about 165 charge an entrance and/or expanded amenity fee, including about 110 with entrance fees. One Reclamation site charges a fee. Retention of Fees. Each agency can retain and spend the revenue collected without further appropriation. At least 80% of the annual revenue collected is to be retained and used at the site where it was generated, although the Secretaries can reduce that amountto not less than 60% if collections exceed reasonable needs. The remaining collections are to be used agency-wide, at the agency's discretion. In practice, the agencies generally allow between 80% and 100% of fees to be used at the collecting sites. FLREA contains other provisions for the distribution of collections, including fromthe sale ofrecreationpasses. Recreation Fee Receipts. Recreation fees generally represent a small portion of agency financing. In FY2019, the five agencies collected $442.3 million in total revenues under FLREA, composed of $417.0 million for agency activities and $25.3 million collected by FS from recreation.gov andused for administration of this reservation service. The agencies collected and retained varying shares of the $417.0million: NPS, 74%; FS, 18%; BLM, 7%; FWS, 2%; and Reclamation, less than 1%. Total revenues for the five agencies increased 32% over thepast five years, from$336.3 million in FY2015 to $442.3 million in FY2019, due to new and higher fees, additional visitation at some sites, and/or other factors. FromFY2018 to FY2019, totalrevenues increased by 2%. Figure 1 shows total revenues for each offive years. Figure I. Recreation Fee Receipts, FY20 I 5-FY20 19 ~semilons M.3L $200 ..... ............Pfgrn. Adrn ;. FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 Sources:Annual budget justifications and dataprovided to CRS by FS and Reclamation. Updated August 21,2020

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